


Champion Strategies

by Samsonet



Series: Leon & Hop in Wyndon [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Gen, Post-Championship Leon Angst, no plot just brothers having fun, sibling shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samsonet/pseuds/Samsonet
Summary: Leon babysits Hop for two weeks. Taking care of a teenager is very different than taking care of a six-year-old.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Hop
Series: Leon & Hop in Wyndon [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605913
Comments: 8
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter 1

Leon is looking at his schedule for the next month when he notices the next three weeks are empty.

He thinks, out of habit, _I wonder if Rose’ll give me a few days off._

Then he thinks, _Wait a minute. I don’t have to ask Rose for things anymore._

That’s one of the unexpected results of Leon’s abrupt career change: he is now in charge of his own calendar. While before he’d had constant matches, meetings, and events, now he has… well. He still has matches and meetings and events, but now _he_ is the one setting them all up, and _he_ has the power to cancel or reschedule if he feels like it.

The idea makes him almost giddy. If he wants, he can take a week off from the Battle Tower and go on sightseeing around Galar. He can crash at Raihan’s house, go exploring in the Wild Area, sit down and have a proper meal in Hulbury. He can go to Postwick and hang out with Hop for a week —

Wait a second. Why stay in Postwick? He’s not the champion anymore. He can bring Hop to _him_.

It would take some strategizing. Hop will probably agree because Gloria lives in Wyndon now, but it’s not him Leon is worried about. Mum worries so much about her youngest child: if Leon invited Hop, Mum wouldn’t agree unless she could come, too. And as much as Leon loves and misses her, having his mother over is not the best idea of a holiday.

So that’s out.

Unless…

He searches vacation sites first. Booking a trip with little notice costs money, but money’s not an issue for him. He finds a nice resort in Alola and buys tickets for three adults.

One call later, and he’s got Sonia’s permission to kidnap her assistant for the second half of the month.

Now all that’s left is putting his plan into action.

*

He brings it up during an unannounced visit, while Hop’s still at the lab and the adults can speak freely. “What do you think about going on holiday?”

This seems to catch Lola’s attention. Leon is counting on that: if he can convince his grandmother, she’ll get the others to agree. “Holiday?”

“Yes! I was thinking, the whole thing at the championship was pretty stressful, so, I kind of owe you all a nice trip, right? What do you think of Alola? There’s a resort there, they have an opening a week from now—”

Lolo is more skeptical than his wife. “Why now?”

“...because everything’s calmer now?”

“No, boy, why _now_? What made you decide to bring this up today?”

“No particular reason! The resort has guided island tours and a private beach, here, let me pull it up on my phone—”

“I’m sure it’s lovely, honey,” Mum says. “It would be nice to have a holiday. Hop would like exploring Alola, I think.”

And there’s the opportunity to introduce the other half of his idea. “Actually, I was thinking just you three would go. A nice getaway without the kids, you know? Don’t worry about Hop, I can watch him for a couple weeks.”

“Are you sure? Can you afford to spend so much time so far away from your tower?”

Leon knows his mum probably assumes he’ll be staying in Postwick. He doesn’t want to lie to her, but he doesn’t want to tell her the whole truth, either. “I’ve got a substitute! His name’s Lomond, he’s really great.”

Unfortunately his attempt at a distraction doesn’t work. Lola laughs and says, “He’s not staying in Postwick, Lettie. Right, Leon? You want to take Hop with you back to Wyndon, don’t you.”

He’d been hoping to sneak Hop away and bring him back before the three of them returned. He nods, sheepishly.

Suddenly Mum seems much less enthusiastic about the idea. “Wyndon? I know Hop is a teenager now, but I’m not sure about him being there while I’m halfway around the world…”

Lola waves a hand. “He’ll be fine. He’s a trainer now, isn’t he? One of the strongest in the region. Besides, Lettie, when was the last time you went on holiday? I, for one, would love to relax at the seaside. I assume your son is paying for everything.”

“Yes! Yes, everything you want.” Leon puts on his best pleading baby-eyes look. He’s too old for it to work on anybody else, but Mum has never been able to say no to it. “Please, Mum? It would make me really happy.”

Mum looks at Lolo. Lolo looks at Lola. Lola smiles.

“Well… It _would_ be nice to go on holiday...”

“ _Yes!_ ”

*

Leon considers keeping the trip a secret from Hop, but eventually he decides against it. Hop is fifteen, young enough to not really have a choice in the matter but old enough to feel offended if he doesn’t get a say. 

That’s why, when Hop comes home that evening, Leon’s waiting for him in the front yard.

“Lee!”

Leon holds his arms out, ready for the running jump hugs that Hop loves to give him. When they were younger, when Leon wasn’t as tall or strong, it would be a fifty-fifty chance on whether Leon would be able to catch him or if they’d both fall to the ground. It was one of the reasons Leon put so much effort into working out, actually.

Only… this time, Hop doesn’t come running. He walks over with a big smile, but it’s a calm walk nonetheless.

(He didn’t come running back before the gym challenge either, Leon realizes. The thought makes his chest ache.)

“Why are you here? Did you need to talk to Sonia about something?”

“I came here to see you! Come on, sit down. I have something to ask you.”

Hop does so, staring up at him curiously. Just last year, back when Leon was still champion, his little brother was still small enough that his feet didn’t fully touch the ground when he was sitting at the picnic table. He must have hit a growth spurt since then, because now he’s sitting in perfect posture, feet flat on the ground.

Leon slides onto the bench across from him. “You’ve been working hard with Sonia, right?”

“Um… yeah. I’m doing a lot of data organization. Sonia’s helping me with university applications, she thinks I might be able to get in a few years early.”

“That sounds great!” Not that Leon would know. After fourth grade, all his education was from private tutors during the off-season. “So I was thinking. How would you like to spend a couple weeks in Wyndon with me? For holiday.”

“Will Mum be coming with us?”

“Nope! I bought her a trip to Alola. It’ll just be you and me.”

“Sonia might need me in the lab, though.”

“I already talked to her. She said you could have the time off.”

Hop crosses his arms. “If you already did all of this, then why are you asking what I think?”

That… wasn’t the reaction Leon had expected. A year ago Hop would be excited for the chance to spend some time in Wyndon, excited to hang out with his incredible big bro. Why is he acting like this now? Sure it was a bit presumptuous to make all the preparations beforehand, but Leon didn’t want to get his brother’s hopes up only to disappoint him if Mum or Sonia said no.

“Do you… not want to go? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I just thought…”

“No, I wanna go. I’m just… It sounds like I’m the last person you asked, right?”

“...I’m sorry. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect.”

“It’s okay. So, when are we going?”

“How does next week sound? I’ll pick you up at the station in the morning, we can have lunch in Motostoke and then head up to Wyndon.”

Leon hasn’t planned out exactly what he wants them to do every day, but he has a lot of ideas. The video game Hop likes. The monorail, the Battle Tower. Making ClikClok videos. Eating out every day and trying all the new foods that Hop is sure to be interested in. Leon may not be champion anymore, but Gloria will let them in the stadium if Hop wants it, won’t she?

His little brother nods. “That sounds good.”

*

The next week passes by quickly, with Leon taking care of the last tasks needed for a two-week absence. He reminds Lomond the details of running the Battle Tower. He puts fresh sheets on the bed in the guest room, buys a new toothbrush for the bathroom. He usually helps with one or two of Gloria’s champion obligations every week, but he gives her a head’s up and she says she can hold the fort for a while.

On Friday afternoon, Leon is back at the train station in Wedgehurst.

Hop is waiting for him. He’s got his travel bag as well as a small suitcase. He’s holding the family Purrloin in his arms — Leon realizes that he did not think about who would care for it, but that’s not a problem.

“There ya are, Hopscotch!” He puts his left arm around his brother’s shoulder, picking up the suitcase with his right. “Are you excited?”

“Yeah.”

He doesn’t sound as enthusiastic as Leon would like, but it’s okay.

They get lunch in Motostoke like they’d agreed, burgers and greasy chips. It’s not the kind of meal Leon would’ve had last year, but seeing Hop dig right in helps suppress some of the vague disgust he feels toward the junk food.

The Battle Tower outfit isn’t skintight the way his uniform was, anyway. Nobody’s going to notice if his abs aren’t as defined as they used to be.

“So,” he says, picking away at his chips, “You wanted to go to university?”

“Ah, yeah! I’m thinking of studying sports medicine. You know, coming up with treatments for the different injuries Pokémon can get, or helping them train in a way that doesn’t push them too far.”

“That sounds great! I can’t begin to tell you how many times a league doc has helped me and Charizard after matches… You know, I hear Noxton has a great medical program. It’s in Wyndon, too. We could go visit it if you want.”

“That’d be cool. I was also thinking, um… what do you think of Hammerlocke University?”

Ah, Hammer U. That’s where Sonia got her doctorate, the place where Raihan gives lectures sometimes. Leon can’t think of anything objectionable about the place, but…

“Will you be okay by yourself? Hammerlocke’s pretty far from Wyndon _and_ Postwick.”

Hop shrugs.

Leon waits for an answer, but when one doesn’t come, he starts eating his burger instead.

It’s the strangest thing, the idea of Hop going to university. With their age difference, Leon thought his little brother would always be… little. A baby. Someone Leon could care for and spoil rotten, because the champion’s little brother shouldn’t have to deal with stress of _schooling_ and _job-seeking_.

He should be able to do whatever he wants. Whatever makes him happy. He should be able to play for the rest of his life, video games and football and training. He should stay young and small and cute, and he should _not_ keep growing so much in between visits from his big brother.

But Hop wants to go to university.

Halfway through the burger, Leon’s stomach decides he can’t have any more. Hop seems to be done with his meal, too, so with his permission Leon clears the table and throws away the trash.

“Come on, let’s go.”

*

Leon’s flat is on the second-highest floor of the Rose Tower. No, the Battle Tower; he keeps forgetting he gave it a new name. Oleana was the one who insisted he move in, the one who helped pack Rose’s things and put them in storage. She gave Leon the keys and told him to do as he wished.

It’s unsettling how easily he filled the former’s chairman’s space. He doesn’t like thinking about it.

“I cleaned out the guest room for you,” he says as he carries Hop’s bags to the room in question.

Hop doesn’t follow, instead stopping in the living room. Leon hears the telly zap on, hears Purrloin meow the way it does when it wants to be set down.

Leon puts Hop’s things away, because his brother is too little to be expected to do so himself. Then it’s only a short walk back to the couch, where Hop is curled up on one side. Leon drops down next to him.

“What are you watching?”

“News.”

“Oh.”

A commercial is playing. It’s from the brand Kabu sponsors, though he isn’t in this particular ad. Leon absentmindedly touches his own beard, wondering if it might be time to try a different style. He looks over to see Hop making the same motion, and —

— is that…

Abruptly Leon leans forward, taking Hop’s face in his hands. Hop jerks back, but there’s no space for him to move away.

“Wh— Lee?”

“You have _chin hair_.”

“I— Lee! So what! Lemme go!”

Leon releases him apologetically, but can’t stop staring at the two dark hairs on Hop’s chin. When did those get there? They weren’t there a week ago; Leon would have noticed. Or… would he have noticed? They must have been on Hop’s face all day, yet Leon only noticed them now. 

What would Hop look like with facial hair? It almost seems laughable, with how small and baby-faced he is, but he… could theoretically pull it off. Leon himself hadn’t started growing his beard till he was seventeen, a few years older than Hop but a teenager nonetheless. But that’s Hop, always rushing to copy his beloved big brother in everything.

“Are you going to grow a beard?”

“No.” Hop has gone back to touching his chin. “I’ll go pluck ‘em out later. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“You’ve been—” A deep breath. Of course Hop wouldn’t know how to take care of this sort of thing. He’s so young, and it’s not like Leon’s been around to tell him everything about puberty. So. He sort of has to make up for that now, right?

Leon says, “Don’t pluck, it’ll irritate your skin. Tell you what, I’ll teach you how to shave, okay? It’s important for you to know how to do it.”

Hop grimaces but nods.

“Unless there’s a reason you don’t want me to teach you?”

“It’s just!” He gives that exaggerated sigh that comes naturally to teenagers. “You brought me here so we could have fun, right? That doesn’t sound fun.”

“Oh. Well, what would you like to do? We can do whatever you want. We can go walk around Wyndon, ride the Ferris wheel, maybe have a practice match if you want.”

“I’m too tired for any of that.”

“You wanna play video games? I have an Xbox here.”

“Maybe later.”

It’s a little frustrating, sure, but Leon remembers being a teenager and easily bored. He gets up, patting Hop on the shoulder.

“Why don’t you take a nap, then? I’ll wake you up for dinner. Your room’s in the back— do you want me to tuck you in?”

“I’m not a baby.”

Hop gets up and heads toward his room, leaving Leon to the telly.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Leon wakes at six in the morning, as always. He does his usual exercise routine but decides against a morning run; he doesn’t want Hop to wake up alone.

There’s nothing good on the telly so early in the morning, so he sets up the Xbox in the living room for later. He brings out his tablet and a notebook, jotting down some ideas for things to do. Restaurants for lunch every day, maybe dinners too if Hop wants. They need to ride the Ferris wheel at least once. At some point he will ask Hop how to make a ClikClok, if only to see his reaction.

At eight, Leon sets a timer for half an hour and plays Pokémon Crossing.

At eight-thirty, he starts making breakfast for Hop. He guesses Hop will wake around nine, but if he doesn’t Leon can always eat everything himself and buy takeaway later.

Luckily for them both, Hop wanders into the living room as Leon is finishing the waffles. Or, well, as the waffle maker is finishing the waffles.

“What’s burning?” Hop asks.

“Oh. I was trying to make pancakes, but they… didn’t come out right. Doughy on one side and burnt on the other. So I threw them out and made waffles instead.” He laughs a bit awkwardly. Hop rolls his eyes but smiles all the same. “Did you brush your teeth? Ready to eat?”

Hop nods, sliding into a seat at the kitchen table. Leon puts a stack of waffles on one plate and some eggs and bacon and beans on a second, then walks over to the table, making a careful little twirl as he sets them down. This gets a smile from Hop; it seems he woke up on the right side of the bed today.

Leon doesn’t take waffles (he’s never been fond of the texture), but he makes a small pile of the protein-rich foods and sits down.

They dig in. It’s quiet, but not unpleasantly so. There’s something comfortable about eating good food in the presence of a loved one, conversation or no.

When Hop’s halfway through his plate, that’s when he starts talking. “So I was thinking about what I want to do with you while we’re here.”

“You did? That’s great! I’m all ears.”

“I want to train with you. And play video games. And I wanna go to that ramen place we went to the last time I was here, I really liked the food there.”

“Sounds good! We can do that! Though...” He takes a bite of egg, swallowing before he continues. “It’ll be pretty hot by the time we get to the training pitch, so we’ll either have to wait till later or wake up early tomorrow.”

“I’m fine doing it later today.”

“You like sleeping in, huh? A kid after my own heart. So, what do you say to video games for a couple hours, and we can go get ramen for lunch? We can play Xbox, or if you brought your Switch we can play Pokemon Crossing.”

“Pokemon Crossing would be fun!”

Without prompting, Hop rushes to his room and comes back with his Switch. Soon the two are on their respective islands, picking fruit and watering flowers.

“Turnips are selling for four-hundred bells. You wanna come to my island?”

“Please!”

Leon opens the gates and holds his Switch so Hop can see the code. “How much did you buy your turnips for?”

“Ninety-two bells. And I bought a _ton_.”

“That’s my bro! I’ll be waiting for you by the airport.”

Leon spends a lot of time in Pokemon Crossing. He’d gotten one of the previous games when it was first released, a gift from the gaming company for appearing in one of their commercials. Since then he’s kept up with every new release, but quietly — it's one of the precious things that he doesn’t put on display for the public.

His island, like his towns before, is very well developed. It’s based on Hulbury, with a marketplace by the river and a lighthouse near the airport.

Leon walks his villager near the docks. The villager has dark hair worn short and straight, and he wears a trenchcoat. He’s still Leon, but a different version of him. A more carefree type. The kind of person who willingly goes into debt to the Pokémon version of Chairman Rose and has no stress over it.

Hop’s villager, on the other hand, looks as identical to him as the art style allows. Purple hair spiked in the back, gold eyes, a wooly blue coat.

Hop greets him by hitting him with a net.

“I like your hat,” he says. “Did you design it yourself?”

Said hat is nearly identical to the crown one Leon wears in real life. “I did! Do you want the design?”

“Yes, please! But let me sell my turnips first.”

“Go ahead, I’ll wait.”

As Hop engages in capitalism, Leon gathers gifts for him. Blue windflowers, because Leon has plenty and he doubts Hop has the patience for growing them. Some DIY recipes that got washed up in bottles. A pair of shoes that are obviously Crocs but can’t be called by the brand name.

By the time Hop leaves Nook’s Cranny, everything has been lined up neatly for him. His character gives a joy reaction. Hop himself is expressionless.

Next comes exploring the island and gathering resources. Hulbury Island is full of water-type villagers, Froakies and Frillishes and Lombres. And Audie, because Hulbury just wouldn’t be the same without a peppy redhead around.

Hop stops by the museum to check out the art. “Didja ever buy the fake ones by accident?”

“Oh, yeah. I have a haunted museum in my basement. I can show you later if you want.”

“That’d be fun.” Hop stands in front of one of the paintings and presses the sneeze reaction.

“Hey!”

Hop laughs. Then, thoughtfully, he says, “Gloria is convinced that Redd and Tom Nook are exes.”

“ _What_?”

“Seriously! She keeps sending me these posts about how Redd broke his heart an’ Tom’s all sad an’ lonely.” Hop’s grinning now, shaking his head in… fondness, maybe? “It’s the most ridiculous thing, but she makes it make _sense_ and now I can’t unsee it.”

“Oh.” Leon doesn’t know what he can possibly say in response to that. “Is that so.”

The conversation seems to die then, either because Hop can’t think of anything to add or because Leon didn’t do a good enough job giving him a way to continue. They play in silence, Hop’s villager running offscreen and Leon’s trying to keep up with him.

“Hey, Lee?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think maybe Gloria could come over later?”

He bites the inside of his cheek. “We can ask. She might be busy, though.”

He hopes Hop doesn’t ask if they can do anything about that. Leon doesn’t want to explain how _he_ is the reason Gloria has been able to visit Postwick every weekend.

His little brother seems satisfied with that answer, though, turning his focus back to the game.


	3. Chapter 3

When Leon was nine and Hop was two, they used to spend afternoons watching telly together. It was always cartoons, the kind where the characters “spoke” to the viewers. Hop would sit in his lap and speak with the talking animals on the screen, sometimes yelling and bouncing when they didn’t seem to hear.

Back then, their mum was always exhausted. She had a full-time job, two elderly parents to care for, and two young children to raise. She never vented when she thought the kids could hear, but… Leon heard. He heard and he understood. So he did what he could. He took care of himself as much as he could, growing up much faster than a nine-year-old should. He took care of Hop as much as he could, acting like both a big brother and a dad.

Then he became the champion and made so much money that Mum could quit her job and focus entirely on caring for the family and watching her younger son grow up.

It made Mum happy. She’d often talked about how she wished she could be a homemaker, after all. It was better for Hop, too, to have all of his mother’s attention and none of her stress. And if Leon had to move across the region and could only visit twice a year — well, that was a small price to pay to make sure his brother grew up in the best circumstances possible.

He should consider himself lucky, really. He might have lost the championship, but now he has the freedom to spend as much time with Hop as he wants. Hop may be a teenager, but he’s still young, and he doesn’t have to deal with the pressures of being champion either.

Leon thinks about this as he leaves Hop’s island and saves his game. He shuts off his Switch and stands up, getting a confused glance from his brother, but Leon tells him it’s okay and to just keep playing.

There are some things to be taken care of, that’s all.

He’d fed his and Hop’s Pokemon earlier, but lunchtime is coming up soon. He sets out the bowls and fills them all up with food appropriate for each species. 

Hop’s team gets the run of the kitchen. The food for Leon’s own Pokemon goes in his bedroom, and he releases his team with a well-practiced throw.

“Remember to stay inside the room while you eat, yeah?”

Leon usually doesn’t ask his Pokemon to wait in one room, but right now they have guests. As well as Hop’s team is trained, they’re still young, and Leon doubts his brother has taught them the self-discipline of not taking food from non-teammates.

His own team, on the other hand, has long mastered that. Mostly.

The Dreepy eat their portions and then float around Leon’s head as if asking for treats. Charizard, too, bites down his food in three large chomps, then makes a pleading expression.

“Sorry, Champ, you know I can’t give you any more just yet.” Leon laughs, reaching out to pet his partner’s face.

The motion brings back a memory, and he freezes.

Was it just a couple years ago that Hop had to stand on his tiptoes to reach Charizard’s nose?

The thought makes him sad, somehow.

Leon knows he’s not the only sibling ever to face this. Raihan’s told the story many times of how his big sister went to university and was struck speechless by his growth spurts in her absence.

Hop has grown so much since then. He grew so much in between visits, grew so much during and after the gym challenge. Leon should be proud of him, and yet.

Well. He’s allowed to be wistful for the times his brother was small and cute, right?

He steps up to Hop and ruffles his brother’s hair. “Hey, can you feed Purrloin for me? Then we can go get lunch ourselves, and I’ll show you where we train.”

“Sounds good to me!”

*

Lunch is at the ramen place they went to on one of Hop’s last visits. The food is delicious as always, but Leon’s favourite part is getting to sit down and eat in the dining room. Usually he orders takeaway or delivery; it just feels so pathetic to be eating in public alone.

But today he has his brother here. They’re sitting at a well-lit corner table, coloring the kids’ menu Hop got with crayons. The restaurant is decorated with a blended Kantonian-Alolan aesthetic; the back of the adults’ menu explains it in the backstory of the Z-Noodle brand.

They both order adult portions: Hop’s with extra soy sauce and aji tamago, Leon’s with bamboo shoots and seaweed.

He sucks up a bamboo shoot as he carefully draws a star with his left hand. “So what are you and Sonia researching next?”

Hop draws a trail behind the star, making it a wishing star. “We’re gonna go to the Glimwood Tangle when the weather gets warmer. She wants to know if the Gigantamax Hatterene and Grimmsnarl that show up in the Wild Area come from the Tangle, or if they’re native to the areas near the dens.”

“Glimwood, huh. That’s near… Opal’s gym, right? No, the new kid. Bede.”

“Right. _Bede_.”

The way he says it makes Leon look up curiously. “Still upset about the loss?”

When Leon was champion, he would have told Hop that a loss wasn’t anything to lose sleep over. Now…

“It’s not about the loss, it’s just— Wait. How do you know about the loss?”

“Gloria told me?” He doesn’t quite understand why his brother sounds so surprised. “You ran off looking pretty upset, so I asked her.”

Hop doesn’t respond at first. His face scrunches up, the way he gets when he’s thinking hard about something. Leon’s not sure how to read it. He’d only asked Gloria because he was worried something bad had happened; he didn’t mean to invade his brother’s privacy.

He opens his mouth to apologize. Hop speaks first.

“That Bede has ridiculous luck. He spends the whole challenge acting like a jerk, yet he ends up a gym leader! He didn’t even have to apprentice like everyone else does!”

Oh, is that what the problem is? Leon hadn’t thought that his brother cared about the gym leader positions — but then it did seem natural for him to be annoyed to see an obnoxious rival do well.

“Opal has always been a bit… difficult. Maybe she saw a kindred spirit in him. Plus, Bede _is_ a strong trainer. He could’ve given you a run for your money in the semifinals.”

“ _If_ he hadn’t been disqualified,” Hop says.

Leon shrugs. “If he hadn’t been disqualified.”

Hop takes another bite of his food. “Gloria thinks it’s stupid that he got kicked out because of the mural.”

“Well… Rose couldn’t let him get away without any punishment. It would be bad for the league’s image.”

“And making you fight Eternatus wasn’t?”

Leon’s grip tightens.

It amazes him that Hop can say that thing’s name. Even with all the time since then, Rose’s plan remains a sore point for Leon; talking about it has never gotten any easier.

“Don’t go there,” he says at last. “Please.”

Perhaps sensing he’d gone too far, Hop nods. They go back to eating, but the atmosphere is chilly.

That’s the absolute last thing this meal should be. It’s supposed to be a nice, happy meal, some quality time. It had started so well, too.

Hesitantly, he asks, “So. What’s your favorite way to train?

*

Hop’s favorite way to train, it turns out, is target practice. Leon takes him to the private training center he used as champion, and they work together in one of the back rooms.

If Leon were by himself, he’d get in his own workout alongside his Pokémon — his body brought in just as much money as his battle strength when it came to sponsorships, after all.

But Hop doesn’t have to worry about building muscle or looking good for cameras. Instead, they stand next to each other and shout orders to their Pokémon, occasionally complimenting their aim and form.

“I was wondering what happened to that Toxel of yours,” Leon comments, as said Toxel (now a Toxtricity) strikes a target across the room. “I’m glad you’re still training it.”

“He’s my baby,” Hop says simply. “For the later gyms his typing wouldn’t really be effective, so I didn’t use him in those, but I did battle with him outside of the gym matches.”

“That’s a good way to keep in practice. I used to do that when I was your age too, keeping everyone in practice.” Of course, he wasn’t able to keep battling random people for long after the league found out, but Hop didn’t need to know about that.

“It does get kind of awkward, though. I mean, sometimes I’m battling someone and Dubwool beats all of their Pokémon while barely taking a hit himself!”

Leon laughs and pats Hop’s shoulder. “It’s easy to forget that most people don’t battle like we do, right? It’s good that you don’t hold back, though. People find it insulting.”

“Huh.” Like he’s learned something.

“But it means you’re strong! And seeing how you train Toxtricity, I’m not surprised. Is there anything you’d like me to show you?”

Hop considers. “Can you do that trick you did in your battle with Gordie last year?”

“Of course! Seismitoad, can you show off the Toxic trick? But with Liquidation instead.” Getting poison all over the gym probably wouldn’t turn out well. 

With a nod, Seismitoad arms up a Liquidation and hits the ground. Then with its other arm, it launches a Drain Punch.

This is a trick Leon had come up with specifically for Gordie, specifically for Coalossal — using Seismitoad’s venom glands to throw liquid on Coalossal’s fire sacs without activating its Steam Engine ability.

The move drew a roar from the audience the first time they used it, and Leon is happy to see that Hop seems just as impressed by it now.

“That. Is _so_ cool. I mean, all your moves are cool, but this is one of the ones that I _really_ liked! I bet you trained for weeks to figure it out!”

“Heh. Being champion does have some perks, you know. I can do a lot of things.”

When he says this, he means time and distance. As champion, Leon was required to spend a certain amount of time training; because the champion had fewer matches than the gym leaders, he could observe Gordie in more battles than Gordie could see him. 

It’s supposed to be some lighthearted bragging. But Hop suddenly doesn’t look excited anymore.

He’s staring up at him, brow furrowed, and Leon wonders what in the world he said.

“What’s wrong?”

“Lee, I’d been wondering about this, but… did you...”

The way Hop trails off sends a spike of anxiety up Leon’s spine. “Did I what?”

“Gloria told you I was upset ‘cause Bede beat me… and then you met with Rose… and then Rose found Bede and Bede got disqualified…” Hop isn’t making eye contact. “You didn’t… tell Rose to take back the endorsement, right? Tell me you didn’t.”

“What? Of course I didn’t.”

It hurts to think that Hop would have suspicions like that — that he would think Leon would abuse his position to take one of his brother’s rivals out of the running. He would never do something like that. Hop has to know he wouldn’t.

But Hop has always had a knack for overthinking things.

Leon motions for the Pokémon to take a break, then puts his hands on Hop’s shoulders and bends down a bit so they’re at eye level with each other. “Can you tell me why you think that?”

Hop only looks at the ground.

“Hop…” It takes a moment for Leon to figure out how he wants to word this. “I promise, I did not get Bede disqualified from the challenge. Not only would that be an insult to good sportsmanship, it would be an insult to _you_.”

“But then why would Bede be kicked out? He was doing everything Rose wanted him to do.”

Leon doesn’t know how else to explain it. Of course his baby brother doesn’t understand publicity, doesn’t understand how even the best intentions can lead to the worst outcomes.

So he says, “I admit I don’t know the full story. But you have to remember that Rose’s strength is how he persuades people. He… likes having control over things.” _Over people._ “When you’re in a position of power like he is, you can’t hold on to people you can’t control.”

Maybe that's why Leon felt bad for the kid, why he let Bede interrupt the finals instead of throwing him out. Leon sympathized with Bede, because he, too, knew what working with Rose was like.

_I’m sorry it’s come to this. But it’s you who forced my hand, Leon._

“You see what I’m saying?” he asks, still holding Hop’s shoulders.

Hop nods, and he shakes himself out of Leon’s hold. “I’m tired.”

“Oh. Okay. Do you want to go home?”

“Yeah.”

*

As they head back to the apartment, Leon admits to himself that the day hasn’t gone as well as he’d hoped. He tells himself that the good outweighed the not-as-good and he should be happy… but the fact remains that he feels frustrated instead.

He unlocks the front door and holds it open. “Hey. Do you wanna watch a movie? I’ll make popcorn.”

“Okay.”

Not enthusiastic, but willing. He’ll take it.

He enters the kitchen, pulls out a couple bags of the microwave popcorn. He just wants Hop to be happy here with him, is that too much to ask? There’s the huge plastic bowl that he uses for popcorn and mixing things and not much else. It used to be so much easier when Hop could be satisfied with a surprise visit and one of Raihan’s league cards. The microwave beeps, time to put in the second bag. Leon himself had probably been just as aloof at that age, but he can’t remember. Does Hop still like anything he used to back when he was younger?

Leon brings the bowl into the living room. The air smells of butter.

“The new Brycen-man is on demand now, if you still like that.”

Hop’s eyes light up. Finally. _Finally._

They start sitting next to each other, Hop holding the popcorn. By halfway through the movie Hop is yawning and leaning on his shoulder, and Leon gently takes the bowl away to put on the coffee table.

He should at least make Hop brush his teeth, but he’s tired too, and he can’t quite summon the energy to get up. Instead he pulls Hop into his lap, then turns so they’re both lying on the couch.

“Did you have a good day?” he asks. He strokes his brother’s hair with his right hand, the one not covered in butter and salt.

“Mmhm,” Hop says, getting comfortable.

“I’m glad. I love you.”

“Love you too.”


End file.
